Fruit of the Fallen

Rodin Whirdon

The Original Sharpshooter

Description:

Player forward

Several fun facts:
1) There is a variant of the human race in 5th addition that allows the character to gain a feat, in return for losing several benefits.
2) The feat “sharpshooter” eliminates ranged penalties due to cover (except full) and range. You may take -5 to attack to deal 10 more damage.
3) Rodin started as a level 1 Ranger with +5 to attack

This character was in a campaign only intended to familiarize our group with the 5th edition. I had noticed that both health and damage were lower than what we were used to in 4th, so I naturally looked for ways to improve upon it. What I found was the “sharpshooter” feat, which essentially doubled my damage whenever I hit (dealing an average of 15-16 damage, where everyone else was doing 8 at best).

What made this character immortal within our group was two things:
1) The battle cry of “SHARP-SHOOTER!” I would use every time I fired
2) The first two times I ever attacked, I crit, dealing 36 damage each time.

After seeing how impressive this build was, and how much the rest of the group liked him, Rodin became a set-piece in our group’s lore.

Bio:

SHARP-SHOOTER!

Player backstory

Rodin mysteriously appeared in Midgard one day, with no idea who he was or how he got there. Mages in the area registered massive magic surges in the area, which briefly interfered with their work. An investigation was carried out, with no success. Rodin, with no idea who or where he was, stumbled off into the night, while still clutching the bow he arrived with. The name he took was one he made up in order to get into an inn for the night, using gold he discovered on his person. Seeking out a mage the next day, and using the last of his gold in the process, Rodin determined that he had been plane shifted from parts unknown using extremely powerful magic…. which had also disenchanted most of the gear he had previously.

The Lady Mcdeath, and the Merrow

Rodin began seeking out work as a mercenary, to better improve his prospects. Fate was kind to him on the day he heard of “The Lady Mcdeath”, a ship looking for mercenaries to help find proof of a living mermaid. After following a false lead to a port with a string of strange shipwrecks, the adventurers found a strange stone artifact that lured sailors onto rocks when used. After inquiring as to its identity, the party learned of an ancient artifact, with the power to release the merfolk from the depths. They merely required the other pieces.

After several side quests hunting down the pieces, the full artifact was constructed. Upon releasing it to the waves, the party immediately found a live mermaid, as well as two merrow that were pursuing it. After slaughtering the merrow, the mermaid blessed the adventurers with the ability to breathe underwater, as well as giving them a special mark that would identify them as friends to the merfolk. Using the money gained from the successful venture, Rodin split from the rest of the group, and began to hunt under the sea, specializing in taking down merrow.

The following decade was a very successful one for Rodin, and he quickly became a famous hunter, known widely across Midgard. He was especially known for his bow and quiver, which were decorated with the trophies of his many merrow kills.

Angels, demons, and Yuan-ti

Some years after the initial incident, Rodin washes up onto a strange shore after falling off of a ship. He finds a port city in the throws of a curse, which is the result of a nearby crypt being opened. The leader of the town, a Rhakshasa, beseeches Rodin and several other adventurers who had recently arrived, to clear out the crypt and attempt to appease whoever was down there. Unbeknownst to Rodin, the Deva in his group had hidden animosity towards the Rhakshasa, though he had agreed to put the suffering villages first.

Upon reaching the crypt site, the adventurers found several cultists surrounding the entrance. They, as well as the creatures they summoned, were easily dispatched. Inside, the adventurers encounter the undead, and Yuan-ti. Fighting deeper into the crypt, the adventurers finally encounter the lich, which was the source of the curse. The lich is destroyed, and within his chambers the party finds a Sphere of Annihilation. The Rhakshasa reappears, and thanks the adventurers for recovering his sphere. The Deva, as well as the rest of the party, were unwilling to give the Rhakshasa the sphere. In the ensuing struggle, the Rhakshasa cast the spell “Planar shift”, targeting the Sphere. In the resulting magical backlash, all but one of the adventurers were drawn into a rift, and scattered across all planes.

A new beginning

Rodin left behind several descendants, who, after some years, tracked down his last adventurer on Midgard, and took some of the dust from the last chamber as symbolic ashes. Rodin, however, was still alive.
Rodin appeared in Eberron, inside of the kingdom of Breland. For a few years, he tried to set out and once again become an adventurer, but his years were catching up with him. He finally decided to settle down in the city of Ardev, marrying a woman in the Church of Erathis. He quickly sired a son, Rodan Whirdon, who himself would have a promising career.

The Siege of Ardev

An event that would, in local history, be termed “The Siege of Ardev”, and, in Brelandian history, never be mentioned again, a group of assailants attempted to apprehend Rodin inside the Erathis’ complex of Ardev, in order to question him about the whereabouts of the Ashen Crown. Though crippled by his battle with the succubus, Rodin’s shooting skills were still as accurate as they ever were, to the surprise and dismay of the agents of Wroat…..